What do Aurora, Colorado Springs and Breckenridge all have that Denver doesn't?
Each city has its own history museum.
Denver is home to over 40 museums, from the Denver Art Museum to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, but there isn’t one that is explicitly dedicated to the city’s history.
Now, all of Denver’s living former mayors came together to support changing that with the creation of the Museum of Denver.
Kendra Black, a former city council member and board president of the Museum of Denver, brought the mayors together for their letter of support.
“We're just hoping to show the people of Denver and the leaders in Denver that there is wide support for this,” Black said.
In his statement, U.S. Senator and former Mayor John Hickenlooper said a museum would showcase Denver’s “one-of-a-kind history.”
“The key to unlocking a better future is understanding the past,” Hickenlooper wrote. “From a small cowtown to an international powerhouse, Denver’s rich story deserves its own home. A museum that truly captures our one-of-a-kind history would allow future generations of Denverites to stand face-to-face with the people and moments that built it, and leave inspired to shape its future.”
And former Mayor Wellington Webber was considerably excited about the idea.
“DENVER, THE MILE HIGH CITY WHERE EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY!!!” Webb wrote. “The Denver museum is where these stories will be told!”
What would make this museum different from others in Denver?
Black said this project would highlight lesser-known stories from Denver’s different neighborhoods.
While the city already has resources like History Colorado and the Denver Public Library, but Black said a Denver museum would serve a different purpose.
“We do have an incredible resource in the Denver Public Library, but it's a research library. You don't spend Saturday afternoon and go over there. You go there to research,” Black said. “And so we want to have a place where people can go and learn all these many stories that aren't well known right now.”
Black estimates that for a permanent space, the museum would need around $4 million to get up and running for the first 3 years.
“We need that one place where we can go and understand how we got to today, how we went in a very short amount of time from there not being a permanent settlement here,” Black said. “Of course, this area was home to the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho people, but there was no permanent settlement here, not that long ago. So it's important to know how we got to now.”
The push for this project began in 2022.
The McNichols building in Civic Center Park is a possible location
Last summer, current mayor Mike Johnston showed interest in the creation of the Museum of Denver.
Johnston suggested the McNichols Civic Center as a space for the museum.
Reviving the McNichols building has been one of the administration’s goals. In June 2024, Johnston and Denver Arts & Venues unveiled an ambitious plan to transform the historic McNichols into a cultural hub featuring a new museum showcasing the history and culture of the city.
“A museum highlighting Denver’s rich history and culture at the historic McNichols Building will create a one of a kind, memorable space for locals and tourists alike to learn about our great city,” Mayor Mike Johnston wrote in a statement.
A potential pop-up to start
Black said the permanent museum project is currently at a standstill, but they’re looking to have a Denver neighborhood pop-up exhibit next summer to help celebrate the state's Sesquisemiquincentennal. Black estimates that they’d need about $250,000 for the pop-up.
She told Denverite they’re planning to launch a fundraising campaign and to apply for grants.
“We were hoping we would have some kind of neighborhood exhibit and highlight all the neighborhoods in Denver so that everyone in Denver can sort of see themselves in that exhibit,” Black said.
